The wreck of the Kursk begins its journey home

Fourteen months after it sank in the Barents Sea, the nuclear submarine Kursk was lifted from its resting place yesterday to start its slow journey to shore.

The 122-metre (400ft) Dutch barge Giant 4 hoisted the hull from the muddy seabed in a 10-hour operation 85 miles north-east of Murmansk.

Twenty-six cables raised the 18,000-ton vessel from the seabed 108 metres below: one of the boldest salvage operations ever undertaken.

Russian and Dutch salvage experts were stunned by the ease of the operation. They had feared that it would take hours just to free the hull from the mud.

"We expected major difficulties, but everything went on in a surprisingly smooth way," Russia's leading submarine designer, Igor Spassky, told Russian television.

Mr Spassky had been afraid feared that the bows, hidden deep in silt, had not been completely sawn off during the preparatory operations and might hamper the lift.

"When we lifted the submarine, I felt as if a huge burden fell off my shoulders," he said. "I was so gripped by emotions that I couldn't contain tears."

The Kursk is now suspended inside the barge, complete with its two nuclear reactors, 22 Granit missiles and the remains of 106 submariners, and being towed by tugboat towards a dry dock outside Murmansk.

If the weather holds it could arrive at Roslyakovo tomorrow.

The Kursk sank on August 12 last year after two still unexplained explosions. All the 118-strong crew died. The bodies of 12 were removed in a rescue attempt.

It had been hoped to complete the lift last month, but the salvage team was plagued by technical problems, bad weather, and the fear that the onset of the Arctic winter would put paid to their work.

Mammoet, the Dutch company in charge of the project, said the Kursk had not been as deeply embedded as thought.

Last month divers cut off the damaged bows, where the explosions took place. A net was placed on the open end of the hull once the sub was raised into the barge to stop debris falling out. The conning tower and stern were fitted into niches carved in the barge.

The successful lift proved to be an emotional occasion for the Russian navy, the divers and the salvage team.

Vice-Admiral Mikhail Motsak, the Russian naval chief overseeing the operation, said: "Once we reach the shore, we will have a good drink, according to Russian custom."

After the Kursk sank President Vladimir Putin promised grieving relatives that he would raise the vessel. Despite criticism that it was a waste of money and an environmental hazard, officials insisted on the lift going ahead.

With the crucial bow section left at the bottom of the sea, the mystery of why the submarine sank will not be immediately solved. The navy initially pointed to a collision with a western submarine but most say that it was due to an accident in the torpedo bay.

Officials have promised to raise the bows next year.

Other submarines have been lifted in the past, but none as big as the Kursk. Five other nuclear submarines - two American and three Russian - remain buried at depths of up to 5,000 metres, largely because of the cost of salvage.

Although the Kursk sank to just 108 metres, the salvage operation still cost £43m.

When the barge carried the Kursk away yesterday, eight Russian naval ships passed over the site to lay wreaths for the submariners.Their crew snapped to attention on the decks, sirens sounding the last farewell.

"A large group of dolphins followed the ships, as if they were also saying their last goodbye to the crew," Adm Motsak said.